Paper or Plastic?
by nospmisidam
Summary: AU - Regina Mills is the Vice President of a powerful oil company. Emma Swan is an environmental consultant and she's on the case of their latest drilling project. Regina begins to realize that Emma gets on her case more than... well... the actual case. Eventual SwanQueen. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Not A Good Sign

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Once Upon A Time!**

**I am excited about this plot, it came to me suddenly and I knew it would be perfect for the dynamic of these two characters. I'm sure something similar has been done with Emma and Regina before, but I hope to make it my own. Knowing myself and my tendencies, it will probably turn into some kind of activist thing on oil fracking companies (if you don't know what oil fracking is, it's a drilling technique that is _very_ harmful to the environment). I am not one for long chapter-writing. I get restless, so this is probably the length they will stay, unless there is something big that's happening, haha. Foreshadowing? _Of course not._**

**-**Regina-

If I could describe myself in one word it would obviously be successful. No woman has achieved as much as I have in this business and I intend to keep it that way. Why? Well, simply because no other woman could top my skills in this corporate world. I know the ins and outs, the loopholes, and I would be naive to say that I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to manipulation.

Yes, things run smooth when I am running the scene. That is how I like it. Which is why today is exceptionally important in order to uphold my values.

Today, I begin the least pleasurable process of the oil drilling preparations- the environmental consulting. Yes, I understand the rules I must follow to avoid being bombarded with a mountain of lawsuits, but this part of the job is particularly annoying. Some stuck-up, kale-chewing hippie is going to march into my conference room and present me with a plethora of legislation that I have to follow, most of which makes the progress on the site slow at a considerable pace. However, as any good businesswoman does, I comply to all the rules... but not without a hearty fight. The modern world is thriving and people need what we dish out. I intend to provide the world with what it wants.

Walking in to work, I look straight ahead to the elevator, smirking at the amount of 'Good morning, Ms. Mills' greetings I hear as I walk by, not bothering to answer any of them. Occasionally, I feel some remorse for not acknowledging any of my employees, but the feeling always passes once I ascend the elevator. Top floor is my office. Just how I like it. I take a deep breath as the elevator door opens, exposing me to my secretary's desk. I give her a curt nod as I walk to her, and she continues to give me my schedule, like I don't already know what's in store for me today. I have known for a while now.

"... Her name is Emma Swan, ma'am. She will be here at 10 o'clock for your meeting."

I scowl purposefully. "Very well. Thank you, dear." I respond flatly and whip away to my office. I hear her say something else, but it matters very little at this point. Emma Swan. That's what matters today.

My morning passes with little distress, the calls come and go, a few papers to fill out here and there, but the majority of the work can wait. I watch the clock on the opposite wall above my office door as it clicks to meet 10:00. I frown. Not very punctual, this Emma Swan. It is polite to be early, that is what I know for a fact. I shuffle a few things around on my desk, trying to set my composure. Perhaps it would be fun to have a little power over Emma Swan because of her distinct lack of punctuality. I smirk at this thought. Having power over others is an essential part of my life, and already having a power over someone I have not yet met calms me considerably.

A clicking noise disrupts my train of thought. The intercom buzzes to life. *Ms. Mills, Emma Sw-*

Suddenly, the door swings open unannounced and the intercom falls silent. I look up at the intruding noise with much scorn, but my eyes fall to the engaging sight before me with much more interest than I had intended. Blonde. That's the first thing I see. Long, luscious, curly blonde hair. A sharply defined face that somehow holds a curving, childish glow to it, adorned with sparkling eyes of a color which I cannot identify due to the length of space between us. A slim body, clad with black dress slacks and a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Her expression is somewhat blank, yet determined. Attractive. Very.

She enters the room and walks toward me with much intention. I recognize her expression. Defiant. "Good morning. I'm Emma Swan, and I will be your consultant on this fracking project." She sits down in the chair in front of me and crosses her legs, showing no signs of hesitance. I find myself slightly restless at her confidence.

Green. Her eyes are green.

I clear my throat and shuffle some papers around again. "Yes. I am aware. Good morning, Ms. Swan."

Before I can think to say anything else, she interjects with a scoff. "Ms. Swan? Wow, that's so professional of you. Just call me Emma, really. It suits me better." She tilts her head slightly to the side and flashes a cartoon-like grin.

I narrow my eyes and lift my chin a little to enforce my status. "I believe, for this occasion, seeing that we are on work premises, I am obliged to address my coworkers with professionalism, Ms. Swan."

She shrugs dismissively and glances around the room. "Whatever suits your fancy, madam." Her eyes spark as she finishes her sentence.

The nerve on this girl is exceptionally irritating.

I choose to ignore the comment and clasp my hands together. "So, are you here to work or did you just wander in here for no reason? Because if so, my secretary would be glad to see you out." I smirk.

She seems to enjoy the squabble and leans forward. "Oh, I don't worry. I'm here for a very important reason." With that, she slaps down a giant folder on my desk.

I frown at the obtruding object and glare up at her. "I see."

"This," she gestures dramatically at the gargantuan folder. "is your paperwork!" She does that tilt-her-head-and-smile-too-wide thing again while she takes in my reaction with her crackling green eyes.

I roll my eyes. "Of course it is."

"I'm gonna need to do a field study on the lot that you're wanting to drill on. I hear it's populated with farms. She clicks her tongue. "Not a good sign. For you, that is."

I sigh dejectedly and roll my eyes once again. I have a feeling that will be a regular occurrence with this blonde hurricane. "It never is, is it? I guess because I'm the villain to you environmentalists, isn't that right?" I lean forward in my chair, testing her. "I'm the bad guy that kills the Earth and doesn't throw my water bottle in the recycling bin, aren't I? I'm the one who brings a whole trunk full of plastic grocery bags home instead of choosing the paper ones, aren't I?"

She leans closer to me and places her hands on the folder. I can see her eyes so clearly now. They are so damn green, it almost feels like a joke considering her job description. It's not until now that I realize my heart is beating much faster than normal. Her tongue momentarily swipes across her bottom lip and she bores her eyes into mine. Somehow I can't remember how to breathe for a moment.

She lowers her voice to playful growl. "You should always take reusable bags to the grocery store."

With that, she she sweeps out of her chair and is out the door before I could register what happened. For the first time this morning, I sit completely still. Emma Swan. What the hell have you gotten me into?


	2. Chapter 2: This Isn't Beverly Hills

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Once Upon A Time or it's wonderfully frustrating characters.**

**I'm gonna give you a little bit of Emma, though writing Regina's POV is a little easier for me. Let me know what you guys like better or if you wanna keep a frequent alternation. I love that people are eager to see where this goes because I am too! Hah! Happy OUAT day :-)**

-Emma-

Nice of her to show up here. _NOT_.

Like, what the hell does she think she's doing showing up here at the site? _Definitely not _in her job description. Aren't vice presidents supposed to sit at a desk all day and bark orders to people? Who has ever heard of some wacko VP waltzing all the way to Oklahoma... more specifically _my_ work space and telling me what _I _need to do? No, that shit doesn't work with me. I work ALONE.

But hey, I mean, she's hot as hell, so I guess it won't be such a bad thing to mess with her a little.

Her attire is slightly less dressy compared to last time we met. Black dress pants and a greenish-bluish looking blouse... and heels? I shouldn't laugh, but that's a ridiculous thing to wear to a long stretch of fucking _farmland_. This isn't Beverly Hills.

Me? Jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing beats a good casual dress day.

"Hello, Ms Swan." she finally says as she reaches me, even though I've seen her coming from like 100 feet away. When you have been working for a bunch of snarky, rolling-in-money individuals as long as I have, you can smell their arrogance like you can smell someone who sprays _way_ too much cologne on themselves.

"Hey, Regina." I shove my hands in my jean pockets and smirk as she scowls at the informal greeting. "What brings you all the way here to good ol' Oklahoma?"

She rolls her eyes and steps closer towards me. "Just making sure you're actually getting the job done."

"That's quite a long way to travel just to see if I'm doing my job."

"I am a hands-on businesswoman, Ms. Swan, and frankly, you don't exactly come off as a trustworthy person."

I can't stop myself from thinking what exactly she wants her hands on but I push the thought away as quickly as it comes. "Touché . And it's Emma."

She crosses her arms and looks around at the roped off land and the truck with my drilling probe on the back. "So... what exactly _are_ you doing?"

I shake my head and laugh. "Unbelievable." I gesture for her to walk with me to my truck and she follows hesitantly. "This," I point at the giant probe. "Is what we use to test the soil. We take four of these and stick them in the ground, then use a generator to test the soil resistance. Conductivity and resistivity."

She looks me in the eye and gives me a look that I can't quite identify... weird. "Interesting. And what if the soil doesn't meet the requirements?"

I stare her down and give her the honest answer. "Then... you can't drill here."

Regina squints at the probes and gives sort of a grunting disapproval.

Rolling my eyes, I turn and head for the truck. I stop and turn around as I reach the driver-side. "Are you coming or what?"

She looks around again and tugs her arms tighter against her chest. "I suppose so." She follows behind me then adds, "Merely to make sure you don't mess anything up."

I give her a small scoff and hop in the truck. She steps into the passenger side with the grace of a queen or something royal like that. I roll my eyes again, which seems to be a regular occurrence lately. "You're such a princess."

Regina lifts her chin slightly and smirks, not bothering to look at me. "Queen."

I sigh and start the engine. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

After all the work is done, I finish up loading the equipment back into the truck and climb inside. Regina tagged along the whole time... there wasn't much talking, but she did seem really interested in what I was doing. She climbs in beside me and sighs comfortably.

I start the engine and drive off the field. "So, it's getting pretty late, do you wanna get something to eat?"

I feel her eyes on me as I focus on the road. She shifts in her seat. "Where were you thinking?"

I bite my lip and think of the options. "Well, I passes a little diner on my way here. Not much, but I doubt we're gonna pass anything else for a while. How bout that?"

Regina is silent for a minute, I'm guessing she's mulling over her options. "That sounds acceptable. However, if I end up with food poisoning, I'm suing _you_."

I smirk again. Such a royal pain.

When we get to the diner, I open the door for her and she breezes inside like she expected nothing less. Damn this lady, this whole situation is almost funny.

She chooses a booth that's close to the back of the diner and I take my seat across from her. I watch her as she runs her hands through her hair. She has a little bit of dirt on her face from being in the field from so long. "Here, you have some dirt or something on your face." I say, and run my fingers over her cheek.

She flinches slightly, her eyes widening and darkening slightly. "Thanks." She pushes my hand away and looks off to the side.

I tilt my head a little, trying to figure out this puzzle piece of a woman right in front of me. "So tell me, Regina, how did a girl like you become such a powerful tycoon? I mean, I've been doing this for a while now, and you don't come across a pretty woman like yourself that often. I mean, the regal attitude- that's a common occurrence, but you usually don't get a twofer."

She presses her lips together and folds her hands on the table in front of her. "I would like to think it's my attractiveness _and _my skills in the business world that got me where I am today. You need an acceptable dose of both to be as successful as I am." She sends me a cocky look.

Resting my hand under my chin, I laugh. "So confident. It must be the heels."

"They give me authority."

I roll my eyes- playfully this time. "When you're working in a giant field of cows, I'm guessing it won't give you anything but blisters."

"Wherever you find yourself, you must always look your finest.

I laugh out loud this time. "Well don't expect some pair of heels will make me to bow down to you. I don't work that way."

She squints playfully and tilts her head to the side, and I get the feeling she is trying to mock me. "We'll see about that." She winks and I feel a shiver go down my spine.

Who the hell _is_ this woman?


End file.
